Shadows often need allies, too. And mentors. But they tend to get an extra assist from a range of characters that fill the roles of threshold guardians. But threshold guardians don’t have to be affiliated with shadows to fulfill their story function. They are like mini-shadows who get in the way of the hero, becoming stumbling blocks along the path toward achieving his goal. Threshold guardians literally and metaphorically keep the hero from going where he wants to go. They guard the hero’s threshold, or gateway, to achievement. They can be henchmen for the antagonist, or pains in the butt, or
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